Sexual, dating, and bullying-related forms of violence targeting LGBTQ+ youth among a population-based sample of California high school students

Sci Rep. 2026 Apr 28. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-48315-7. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

LGBTQ+ youth experience inequitably high risk for bullying, sexual violence (SV), and dating violence (DV), disproportionately disrupting their social, educational, financial, and health opportunities. LGBTQ+ youth may even be targeted for distinct forms of violence based on their LGBTQ+ identity (e.g., unwanted sexual contact to “prove” one’s gender or sexual orientation), yet little is known from population-based studies. This study provides prevalences for a range of ways LGBTQ+ youth are specifically targeted for bullying, SV, and DV using data from a population-based sample of 9th and 11th grade LGBTQ+ youth from 30 public schools in California (N = 2,284) in 2021-2022. Generalized estimating equations with robust standard errors were used to estimate the association between LGBTQ+ youths’ experiences of LGBTQ+-targeted violence and mental health, academic performance, and school connection. Results indicate that these forms of violence are prevalent, especially among transgender boys and nonbinary youth, and are associated with significantly higher risk for depressive symptoms, suicidality, school absenteeism, worse academic grades, lower school connection, and lower perceived safety while at school. This evidence calls for continued research to better understand the unique ways LGBTQ+ youth experience SV, DV, and bullying to ensure LGBTQ+ youth have access to a safe and supportive education.

PMID:42049835 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-48315-7